Chapter 40 - The Dao (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Oh, I get it now. By ‘Absolute Martial Truth’, you were referring to my understanding of the martial arts!” Ye Chen finally understood his granduncle. He did not know that there was an actual word for the state he had attained until his granduncle had put a name on it.

He gave a brief thought and began, “The truth I’ve come to be enlightened to… was the Dao.*” (TN: Dao mainly means “the path,””the way,” and/or “order; law.”)

There was a stunned silence followed by a puzzled chorus of “D-Dao?”

“Yes. The Dao. The phenomenal universe that we are a part of is just connections arisen from the Dao; the way of mankind and the way of the heavens. Everything is based on the Dao, yet nothing deviates from it,” Ye Chen explained. “Our existence adheres to a predetermined order just as everything else in the universe. The Dao implicitly informs our actions and influences the path of our lives, yet despite its universal presence, the Dao has often eluded our awareness.”

Ye Chen was careful to choose words that were easier to understand. However, since Ye Chen realized the truth from within himself, he was unable to express his realization through lengthy explanations. Perhaps he would never truly be able to explain the Dao properly without writing an entire dissertation on it. Besides, at that point, Ye Chen had only a glimpse of the entire ocean of what the Dao truly was.

The crowd was puzzled and stared at each other, then turned their attention to the most knowledgeable among themselves. Unfortunately, Ye Changxuan looked as clueless as they were.

The Martial Truth obtained by Emperor Mingwu was at least something as concrete as the concept of “conquest”; so, what exactly was the Dao?

‘Was the Dao a kind of martial arts as well? It couldn’t be, could it? How exactly did beings come to existence from, well, martial arts?’

The things Ye Chen had just explained sounded more like a spiritual philosophy regarding men, gods, and heavens than anything that had to do with cultivation and martial arts.

“I’ll admit it, I don’t think any of us understood what you just said, Chen. Perhaps never in our life.” Ye Changxuan gave an uneasy smile. What Ye Chen said simply sounded too difficult and mysterious to wrap their heads around.

Dao as a concept was never detailed or written in any book in this world. Hence, it seemed that no one else in the world would even consider the concept.

“Hmm, how about if I put it this way? Emperor Mingwu understood the Dao in the form of ‘imperial conquest’, which I supposed is correct in a way, but that understanding is one of the least encouraged aspects of Dao,” Ye Chen tried again, trying to place his own understanding with the only other example they had.

Still, everyone, including the more knowledgeable of them, Ye Changxuan was still perplexed. Ye Chen was starting to think that the more he tried to explain what he knew, the less they seemed to understand. After all, here the young man was, telling them that not only was the eminent Emperor’s Absolute Martial Truth was just another aspect of the Dao, but also one of the most inferior aspects of it as well.

Ye Changxuan and the rest were in a daze. Emperor Mingwu was one of the most prodigious savants the entire Xiwu Empire had ever witnessed. He had attained Celestial Chi Ninth Stage at the tender age of thirteen before subsequently becoming the model and example of martial arts in the entire empire by the age of twenty-one.

Then, coupled with the rumor that once a cultivator had obtained their personal Absolute Martial Truth, their cultivation speed would skyrocket in ways the average person would never be able to comprehend. It meant that after a decade the Emperor’s enlightenment, could he only have reached an unfathomable level at that point even if he was not already at the level of a god!

Yet, Ye Chen had just boldly claimed that the Emperor’s Absolute Martial Truth was inferior.

Was this Dao thing, that was revealed to the young man, something even more powerful? Something of a different dimension when compared to the earthly philosophy of “conquest”?

Although they were still too baffled to make sense of it all, the seniors had a feeling that Ye Chen’s claim was believable.

Seeing that his audience was still lost despite his best effort, Ye Chen retreated in silence. In life, it takes a tremendous stroke of fortune to find a confidante who was on the same wavelength and spoke the same language as yourself. It would take even more to meet that special someone and have a lively discussion with them on such topics.

“Alright, I don’t think I’m exaggerating to suggest that absolutely no one in this room really got what you were saying, Chen,” Ye Changxuan said as he broke the silence.

“I know one thing for sure, it was a blessing to have attained your personal Absolute Martial Truth.” He continued, “Although we don’t have the knowledge to teach you further regarding the matters of cultivation, you must believe in your truth with determination and confidence because the path ahead of you will be a lonely one.”

Although he said so on the outside, the truth was that the old man feared that his head was going to explode if he dwelled on the subject any longer. He could still feel his head spinning…

He was not alone. Everyone else in the hall was about to have a migraine of their own too.

“It can only be a good thing for one to attain Absolute Martial Truth, isn’t it?” Ye Zhantian remarked, masking his own feeling of embarrassment. He was Ye Chen’s father, comparing his son’s ability to himself, the old-timer could not even reach one-tenth of his son’s intellect and prowess. Ye Zhantian was going to be upfront about it, it was pretty embarrassing for a father!

However, he did feel very proud of his son’s achievement.

“Let us go back to the more pressing issues at hand,” Ye Changxuan said, steering their attention to the importance of the event that had yet to come. “Specifically, the Grand Martial Tournament of the Eighteen Houses.”

At this juncture, what mattered most was their strategy in countering any scheme that the House of Yun may have come up with.

“Regardless of any circumstances or reasons, Chen is not to go to the House of Yun!” Ye Zhanlong and the others cried out unanimously. “He’s the light of the House of Ye’s future! We cannot jeopardize his life at all!”

“But Granduncle! Father! Please…” Ye Chen protested frantically, afraid that his uncles’ decisions would be final.